Archives for May 2016

School Uses Writing Based Assessments Instead of Testing

May 16, 2016 by g.mccartyvachon Leave a Comment

There is something unusual about School of the Future. While students in other schools are preparing for state exams, students at School of the Future are getting ready to present a semester long study.

School of the Future is known for its exemption from taking the Regents, a statewide exam covering all core subjects. Instead of the Regents, students are required to demonstrate a core skill through a paper and presentation known as exhibitions. Mr Fanning, the high school director comments on the exhibitions. He stated: “This is what we feel prepares our kids most for college and beyond”

Mr Copeland, the 11th and 12th grade history teacher and musical director stated: “We encourage students to investigate something that they find interesting. We hone their skills, their research skills, their writing skills.”

Many students have mixed reviews on the presentations. Some believe that the presentations truly represents a deeper understanding of the material while others would rather take the Regents.

One student commented: “I love exhibitions because they allow me to immerse myself in a topic of a subject that I otherwise might not have learned from a test”

Other students disagree with having to do exhibitions. One student commented: “I would rather just take a test and be done with it.”

Exhibitions take place twice each year, one per semester. They are broken up by into each core subject. Which consists of history, english, mathematics, and science.

Currently students are working on their second semester exhibition, and for many seniors it is their last exhibition and will determine if they graduate on time.

One student is working on a history exhibition that focuses on the contradiction between Thomas Jefferson’s personal life and his political rhetoric.

While another student is focusing on why the Women’s Suffrage Movement got underway when it did.

The Raft of Fashion Industries

May 16, 2016 by t.seignious Leave a Comment

As the Class of 2016 sat in the school auditorium, everyone seemed to be chattering and catching up with their friends before graduation in June. About 10:30 in the morning the principal walked on the stage, with a stern strict face. He proceeded to tell the Class of 2016, news that will devastate the entire class.

Every year the High School of Fashion Industries senior class goes on an overnight trip, that includes going to a spa, or an amusement park.However last year, the day after the trip no one came back to school. Not one student that went on the trip, and not one teacher that went on the trip. The principal stated that this was not acceptable, and so this won’t happen again there will be no more overnight trips. The principal had used last year’s trip as an example as to why the class of 2016’s senior trip was taken away.

“I waited 4 years for the moment for it to be taken away”. seventeen year old Seshem Sinclair uttered said when the principal made this announcement.

“As your senior class president, this is an utter shock but we cannot act out because it would only hurt us.” Ana Rivera senior class president said these words yet you could hear the disappointment in her voice.

The senior class of Fashion Industries have been through a lot of trials and tribulations over the past year,however this has been the biggest disappoint for them. The senior class has been given the opportunity to go to Dorney Park, but many kids feel this is not a senior class trip, because this is nothing special.

Damaris Guerrero had publicly displayed her disgust in the school’s decision by making an unappealing in the auditorium. She didn’t feel that the class of 2016 should be blamed for the previous classes actions.

Seniors Anxiously Waiting for College Letters

May 16, 2016 by j.salas Leave a Comment

March is considered an important month for many high school seniors at E.B.C High School in Bushwick who are now receiving letters from colleges they applied to early in the school year. One by one students are posting their acceptance letters on the school’s college bulletin board.

For many seniors, college is quickly approaching and high school days will be over. Seniors at E.B.C have been applying to many colleges since the start of the school year, and March has been the month that seniors have been longing for.

“I’m kind of happy to be leaving E.B.C only because I need to see a different world than high school, but I’m also sad because I have made a lot of friends at this schools and meet teachers who were there to help me when I needed academic help or guidance,” says Giselle Flores, a senior.

“I have worked hard to earn the best grades these past four years and I am so excited that my dedication has earned me a spot to attend Columbia University,” says Janine Bautista.

While many are excited to hear good news from colleges, others are not hearing the best news from their dream schools.

“ I applied to N.Y.U only to hear that I was not accepted. It was one of the first colleges that I was very excited to apply for,” says Michael Rodriguez.

Many students are already in college spirit since receiving letters and planning to take a few trips on the weekend to see the schools they soon will be attending.

Girl Takes Third Place in Pi Memorization Competition

May 16, 2016 by d.mei Leave a Comment

In an amazing display of memorization, Annie Ma, a junior, took third place in the Pi Day competition this Monday at Baruch College Campus High School. Annie Ma had practiced memorizing the digits of pi after being selected to represent her advisory.

On the day of the competition, March 14, everyone gathered around Annie, watching intently while she was drenched in sweat, struggling to remember the digits.

“Guys stop crowding around me, my head is starting to hurt,” Annie said.

Everyone took a step back and made sure Annie had room to write down the digits of pi on the piece of graph paper. She had the whole advisory period, which consisted of forty-five minutes.

After five minutes and six seconds, Annie was finished.

“I didn’t do badly compared to the other junior advisories,” Annie responded.

Everyone waited with anticipation while the judge counted how many digits she had memorized. The results were in. The first place winner memorized an astonishing amount of 300 digits of pi. The runner up memorized 220 digits. Annie memorized a total of 188 digits of pi! The room was filled with noise.

“I can’t believe Annie remembered 188 digits of pi!” a fellow classmate said. “I can barely remember the first 4 digits!”

Pi day is a day where all the activities are pi related.

The Rocks of Baruch

May 16, 2016 by a.ma1 Leave a Comment

“If it’s too loud, you’re too old,” Sasha said.

Alexander Didkovsky (aka. Sasha) is the president of the Club of Rock. The Club of Rock is a club where people get to play the music they love, especially rock music. Rock music is often loud music.

The club will put on a performance at Baruch College Campus High School on May 13. It is preparing for the performance by rehearsing and practicing every Friday.

“Everybody in the world should come to it because these kids have been working really, really hard, and I am really proud of them,” Sasha said.

This club was created 4 years ago. Sasha didn’t create this club. He joined freshman year. Yet, before Sasha left for summer break that year, the co-teacher of the club, Mr. Records, told him that he was going to be the president of the club.

In the first year, the club was a bit shaky. However, Sasha acted as a leader and took control.

“It forced me to rise to the occasion and take control of something that I cared about. So the leadership role and the independence skills, self dependence is something I learned and am keeping for my future use,” Sasha said.

This club teaches how to take on a leadership role. Also, it teaches people to play the music and instrument they like.

Benjamin, a member of the Club of Rock, said, “I didn’t know how to play the guitar before joining this club. Now I do.”

Sasha cared about this club because it lets people express themselves musically.

“I noticed that there wasn’t any place for people to express themselves musically, especially not for rock music. The goal of the club was that kids could bring in songs and bands that they like and learn to play the music they love. There are a lot of schools that have classical orchestra, and they learn Mozart and Bach. That’s great, but that’s not what inspires people in Baruch. They are interested in rock, so I want to get them that,” Sasha explained.

“I joined for fun. Practice. To play music. I joined to do what I enjoyed,” Benjamin said.

“People get to have fun. It’s like one of the few communities that I have been apart of that I feel that everybody is just joking around with each other and there are no tensions. There’s nobody ragging on it. If there are any insults thrown around, everyone knows it’s a joke. One reason to join this club is that it is a nice community of kids. Really kind people. If you don’t wanna join, you should know about this club because we play cool music,” Sasha said.

Justyn Diaz: Photography & Politics

May 16, 2016 by p.morocho Leave a Comment

While standing on a large stereo within view of presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, Justyn Diaz pictures himself on a podium inspiring a crowd of tens of thousands.

“I’d like to run for president,” he said. “Be the voice of the multitudes who have none.”

He pointed his Nikon d7200 at Bernie Sanders, carefully zoomed in, anticipated for the moment, and quickly, with a swift click of a button he took the picture. Immediately after, he hung his camera on his neck and raised his arm. Chants yelling “Bernie!” drowned the area. The night engulfed the ralliers, but with their passion they drove away the cold.

Earlier in the day, Diaz hastily left Columbia Secondary School (CSS) after the dismissal at 2:25, attempting to arrive at Washington Square Park by 3:00. He took the A train to West 4th and fast-walked to the rally, evading the Verizon employees on strike who were stationed on the corner of each block. He reached the volunteer sign up in time and met a man named Tom — a staff member for the day. Tom was eager to yell , but not out of anger. He was passionate, and Justyn liked that.

There were two young adults next to the stand. They yelled tirelessly, labelling Bernie Sanders as “sinful” and “against God.” Tom laughed at their religious dogma, and Justyn couldn’t help laughing either. Before joining the press team Justyn received a Bernie t-shirt, button, and stickers. He recalled the Bronx rally for Bernie Sanders that didn’t provide merchandise. No love for the Bronx he concluded.

Justyn’s passion for politics started early in his last year of middle school.“It began with Ron Paul during the 2012 election.” he said with an embarrassed look on his face. “I certainly don’t agree with the 2012 Justyn anymore, but I am thankful.”

In 2012, Ron Paul ran as presidential candidate against Mitt Romney for the Republican nomination. Libertarians regarded Ron Paul highly and were disappointed when he was not granted the nomination during the Republican Convention.

“During that time, in middle school, my attendance struggled, but politics inspired me.” he recalled. “Instead of going to Riverside Park every day after school I focused on my studies. Now I’m happy to be going to Bard.”

Justyn was also elected as President of his high school student government at CSS earlier this year. He described the feeling as being “incredible.”

During his academic resurgence Justyn picked up his first camera — a Nikon d70s. He looked at it and smiled, pleased to have found a medium to express himself. The camera represented a positive change in his life, an inspiration to do something great. When the 2016 election came into view he quickly turned the corner.

“Hillary is another regret,” he said laughing. “She seemed like the best candidate, but Bernie began his candidacy.”

Since the day Sanders announced he was running Justyn has held unwavering support for him. On March 31, 2016 he volunteered at the Bronx rally, where he stood behind the podium Sanders was speaking on.

Justyn was finally inside of Washington Square Park. He was no more than 20 feet in front of Bernie Sanders. His task was simple; let the media through, but nobody would dare to attempt passing the thousands of Bernie supporters. So, Justyn didn’t have much to do. First came Vampire Weekend. They finished playing “A-Punk” and asked the New York University students and Columbia University students to forget their bourgeois rivalries tonight in, for Bernie Sanders. A number of speakers came on afterwards. Spike Lee and Rosario Dawson waved their support for Bernie Sanders.

He came on stage, what everyone was there for. Mr. Bernie Sanders for all to see. And he did not disappoint.

His speech contained the usual, but also the exciting prospect of a political revolution. Justyn was all about that. He agreed and he nodded his head continuously. The system needs change.

“He knows what’s wrong.” a fellow volunteer said.

Bernie Sanders ended his speech as usual: his hands in the air like a conductor, raising the atmosphere and noise. The night came to an end and Bernie Sanders proceeded to the car awaiting him. The crowd rushed to the gates that were stopping them from reaching their savior. The guards warned against having anything in their hands as they reached for a handshake. The chants began again. “Bernie, Bernie, Bernie!,” they sang. Justyn reached for Mr. Sanders with his phone at the ready. Bernie passed by quickly, but reluctantly at the hesitation of his guards. Mr. Sanders took notice of Justyn’s outstretched palm and dutifully shook it, and all the while Justyn filmed the interaction. He caught the essence of Bernie; happy, cheerful, friendly, trustworthy.

There he was: smiling, laughing, and feeling alive. Justyn lives for this.

Culturally Inspiring Talent Show

May 16, 2016 by y.zhuo Leave a Comment

On March 2^nd, talent show auditions were held at Dual Language HS in Delancey, Essex St. This particular school is mainly made up of Asian students, who desire to keep intact with their mother countries.

There were some broken pieces of wooden boards, some traces of cabbages in the corners. Otherwise, things were just about normal: traditional Chinese instrument players here, some k-pop and lion dancers warming up there, and the odor of anxiety reeking through the nose of all the attendees.

Delia Guzman, a previous participant, plans on breaking five wooden boards with her head. She is currently in the Taekwondo club, where she learns how to break wooden boards with every part of her body. “The talent show is a great way to connect with Asian culture, even if you are not Asian”, said Guzman.

Every year the talent show audition revolves around Asian culture. The students accepted into the talent show are committed to being flawless in their performance.

“I chipped my front tooth when I was at practice; there is a lot of pain we experience but at the end of the day, it’s worth it to see the representation of our heritage,” said Tommy Wu. Tommy, a third year lion dancer, views lion dancing as a celebration of Chinese ancestors. Tommy says, “Each year we really go all out and buy new vintage Chinese costumes and drums.

Typically schools try to be as diverse as possible, however Dual Language HS strays from normal expectations. The sole focus on Asian culture allows every student to learn about the majority of the school population.

Rollin’ Down I-95 to the Motor Inn

May 16, 2016 by Taylor L. Berman-Scozzafava Leave a Comment

As the trees whizzed by, sliding on the concrete road, I stayed at one of the best motels you can get.

Taking a road trip with my father along I-95 last summer, we stayed at a motel in roadside attraction, South of the Border, one night. South of the Border is a little known place that has a theme park, gift shops, a gas station, food places, and two motels.

When my father and I drove up to the entrance to the main lobby, we had gotten our room and proceeded to drive to the room. We parked our car, Bubba, in the very handy carport provided and went inside with our cat and dog.

Spending the night there, was truly a life-changing experience. There was a certain rustic charm that brought me back decades into a simpler time most people miss out on due to a rise in technology and human ignorance. In the middle of the night, it was so quiet and peaceful I could hear the rain go pitter-patter pitter-patter outside with the occasional engine rumble and trucker yell.

Either way, I love this motel with all my heart. Receiving about 3 stars from TripAdvisor and 3 stars as well from Yelp, it doesn’t get the credit it deserves.

A fair review from a TripAdvisor users said, “The place is out of a different era. It was a little bit rundown, but clean. The indoor pool was nice. All of that and the price it was good.” The user gave it four stars, staying there within the last month.

However, a Yelper would disagree stating, “Very old and outdated rooms. Uncomfortable beds and towel racks that are rusted on the wall. This place is so old that it looks dirtier than it is.” with a rating of two stars.
I guess it all depends on what type of person you are and where you stay. Either way, whenever I’m going down I-95 I will be sure to stay of SotB (South of the Border) Motor Inn anytime.